Two New Wallpaper Companies Blend Past and Present

For many, wallpaper has an old-world connotation or conjures up the image of your grandmother’s home. But two new wallpaper companies are truly drawing on the field’s past while expanding on its future. Costanza Theodoli-Braschi and Chiara de Rege just cofounded Maison C, while Antea Brugnoni Alliata and Marco Kinloch Herbertson recently debuted Roi du Lac at Maison & Objet. We reached out to a cofounder of each company, to learn a little bit about the formation of their business and artistic inspirations.

Why did you decide to start your business?Costanza Theodoli-Braschi: My partner, Chiara, and I approached this project from different backgrounds. I am an artist and illustrator and she is an interior designer, but we are inspired by many of the same things. We had been brainstorming ideas of how to work together and thought it could be interesting to somehow develop my drawings into murals. This led us to wallpaper. We both love many of the old established houses but found that they could be quite inaccessible to some of our friends and clients. So we decided to create a line that was unique but still had a timeless feel.

Antea Brugnoni Alliata: My husband, Marco Kinloch, and I created Roi du Lac recently, after previous experience designing fashion accessories. Somehow, having more space on which to express the drawings, which are all made by hand, seemed more interesting. At the same time, having spent the last three years restoring my family’s estate, Villa Valguarnera, in Sicily, we have developed some experience with interiors, and in the creation of spaces that are both respectful of history while in dialogue with modernity.

How did you first become interested in wallpaper?C.T.B.: I have always loved murals and frescoes—worlds painted on walls. The way a space can become a portal and take you into a dream [is fascinating to me]. This led to an interest in vintage wallpapers, which often possess a greater sense of narrative and history. Most of the papers I liked were quite old, however, and hard to source, which inspired the creation of our company.

A.B.A.: Wallpapers allow you to be very creative in interior decoration. We wanted a tool through which to express the grandeur of the great Baroque and neoclassical architecture in all kinds of houses. And our wallpapers, which are inspired by the classic tradition, always have a funny, contemporary “something” that catches the visitor’s eye.

What is your favorite design from your collection so far and why?C.T.B.: I wouldn’t say I have a favorite, but I do have a special connection to Coven. I love drawing women. And I try to create these sort of dreamlike worlds within my work. The goal with this project was to translate those worlds into wallpapers. To me, Coven feels quite ageless—these women could be from any era.

A.B.A.: The sequence of Chinoiserie panels are what we are most proud of. They embody all the elements of our philosophy—each panel is a stand-alone piece, but can also be repeated many times to form, say, a forest of bamboo trees. And even when it is a classical theme—the drawing technique, the little animals hidden here and there, the perspective—all are modern.